


Knave of Wands

by PostcardsfromTheoryland



Series: April Tarot Card Prompts [13]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Foster Kid Keith (Voltron), Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Garrison, mentor Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PostcardsfromTheoryland/pseuds/PostcardsfromTheoryland
Summary: The Knave of Wands: Untapped potential, need for mentorship, self-limiting beliefsShiro, struggling with an unresponsive junior high kid he's supposed to be mentoring. Keith, struggling with the feeling of being wanted.
Relationships: Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Series: April Tarot Card Prompts [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686346
Comments: 6
Kudos: 95





	Knave of Wands

“I don’t know what else to do,” Shiro groaned as he flopped onto the couch in the on-base apartment he shared with Matt. “I’ve tried everything I can think of and just...nothing.”

“You know,” Matt said, not looking up from the bowl of Lucky Charms he was eating for dinner, “they _did_ warn you when you signed up for this mentorship program that it wasn’t going to be easy.”

“I knew that,” he said rubbing a hand over his face. “I know these kids all have shitty pasts and horrible homelives and they need someone in their corner, but, ugh...”

“Ok, walk me through it,” Matt said, turning in his chair to face Shiro. “What did you do today?”

“His grades weren’t great to begin with, but now they’re really slipping; he’s in danger of failing over half his classes and being held back a year, so they asked me to do a little tutoring session with him. Algebra, physics, that type of stuff. I went over it with him, he obviously knows it all, but then he gets to the tests and just...bombs it.”

“Test anxiety?” Matt suggested, but Shiro shook his head.

“The guidance counselor showed me some of the most recent tests. Multiple choice, and he got a zero. A zero, Matt!”

“You think he’s intentionally failing,” Matt realized. “He knows what the right answer is and he’s picking the wrong one on purpose? Why?”

“If I could figure that out, I feel like I wouldn’t be in this mess. One moment I think I’m getting him to open up and relax, and the next moment we’re right back to square one. The program ends next week and I haven’t gotten him to smile _once_.”

“Maybe it just...wasn’t a good fit,” Matt said sadly. “You’re amazing, Shiro, but not everyone is going to mesh with everyone else.”

“I thought about that. A few weeks ago we did an experiment, we all shuffled around mentors and mentees, and Sarla said he was even worse with her than he was with me, and the next week it...God, it looked like he was going to cry. He needs someone a lot more experienced than me, preferably with a degree in counseling, but I’m all he’s got.”

“And next week is the last week, isn’t it?”

Shiro nodded. “I don’t want to just, you know, up and leave after it’s over. I know a lot of the others are making plans to keep up with their mentees after the program’s done, take them out and do some fun stuff, and I want to do that for Keith but...I don’t know how well it would be received.”

“Well, if next week is the last one, just...try. Pull out all the stops and see what happens.”

* * *

Keith honestly hadn’t planned to go to the last week of the stupid mentorship program, but the librarian had caught him hiding in the reference section and all but frogmarched him back to the gym just as the Garrison mentors were showing up, and Shiro caught his eyes and gave him a cheery wave, and _damnit_.

He’d tried so damn hard not to get attached, but Shiro made it so easy. To feel like he was important, and smart. And wanted.

And now this stupid mentorship program was ending, and he’d never see Shiro again, because that was how these things _worked_. Who’d bother to waste time on foster system trash when someone like Shiro had a whole career in front of him? Keith wasn’t an idiot; the mentors were in this program because it looked good on a resume. Help a “less fortunate” student get through junior high, feel good about it and pat yourself on the back and then forget them the moment the program was done.

And the worst part of it was, that he was going to miss Shiro. A lot. Keith had never really been good at making friends, and it hadn’t gotten any easier after he’d been dumped in the group home once foster family #7 decided they didn’t want to deal with him. The weekly mentoring sessions with Shiro had been a bright spot in the dull routine of school-group home-sleep-repeat.

It didn’t matter. Keith was probably barely a blip on his radar, anyways. He looked over to where Shiro was talking to Mrs. Tait, who was looking directly back at Keith and frowning, but then she shrugged and sort of waved Shiro away. Shiro was grinning as he jogged up to Keith and then immediately started tugging him outside.

“Change of plans,” he said brightly. “It’s the last week, so I got permission to take you on a field trip. You got all your stuff?”

If by “all his stuff” Shiro meant his ratty backpack and the two textbooks he’d decided not to leave in his locker that weekend, sure. Shiro’s hand was already on his shoulder, leading him out into the parking lot to a very shiny, very fast red hoverbike.

“This is _yours_?” Keith couldn’t help it. He’d known Shiro was a pilot, but somehow he hadn’t pictured him as the hoverbike drag-racing type.

“Yep!” Shiro grinned, taking Keith’s bag and loading it into the storage compartment on the bike and then handing him a helmet, which Keith took begrudgingly. As much as he really didn’t want to be, he was getting...excited about this. He didn’t know what Shiro was planning, but it had to be more interesting than sitting in the gym and talking about physics. Shiro gave him a mini-lesson about leaning as the bike turned, made sure Keith was holding tight from his position behind Shiro, and then shot out of the parking lot. They only stayed on the road for a few minutes, before Shiro veered off course and into the desert.

“Shortcut!” he shouted over his shoulder, and Keith had to hold on a little tighter as they weaved over the dunes and in between rocks and cacti.

It was...exhilarating, to say the least.

It felt like about twenty minutes before they were slowing down and pulling back onto the road and into a parking lot. All around them were nondescript buildings with a big fence around the whole complex, and Keith was suddenly a little scared and cursing himself for getting on a hoverbike with someone that he still didn’t know all that well. But as they approached one of the gates, things became a little clearer - Shiro saluted, and then flashed some kind of ID at the guard, who let them in without a problem.

“This is...the Galaxy Garrison?” Keith guessed.

“Yeah,” Shiro said. “It’s pretty empty right now since we’re on our fall break right now, but normally the yard would be packed with students.”

Keith’s stomach gave a jolt as he realized that the mentorship program had kept Shiro from actually enjoying the break like all his classmates. “You...you didn’t..?” He couldn’t finish the question, really, but Shiro looked down at him and seemed to understand.

“I live on base, anyways,” he explained. “My parents move around a lot - they’re in Germany right now, so I would have only had a couple days to see them if I’d left.” That explanation seemed to make sense, but still left Keith feeling just a bit suspicious. He didn’t really have time to think about it, though, before Shiro was directing him into a large building. It sort of looked like a cross between a warehouse and a science lab, and Shiro swiped his ID into a reader on one of the doors.

“So,” Shiro said with a sweep of his arms. “Let’s talk about your science and math grades.”

What.

“You took me all the way out here to talk about algebra?” he asked incredulously. “You know I don’t get it!”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure you know your stuff, actually. A word to the wise, if you get every single question wrong on a multiple choice exam, it’s pretty obvious that you do actually know the material. It’s _really_ hard to get every question wrong by accident.”

Damnit.

“You’re not claustrophobic, are you?” Shiro asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Keith edged a couple steps away from him, just on instinct. “No…?” Where the _fuck_ was Shiro going with this?

“Great!” Shiro flipped on a light switch, suddenly turning on all the overhead fluorescents, and Keith noticed that there were three large, box-like structures in the room. “These are the simulators. Well, three of them. They’re normally booked solid, but since we’re on break most of them aren’t in use. I thought you might like to take one for a spin.”

“What?”

“You want to fly one?”

“I...yes, but…” It sounded amazing, when was he ever going to get a chance like this? But… “I have no idea how to do it.”

Shiro just winked and led him into the smallest of the three boxes, opening up a door on its side. “This is a solo one - designed to act like a fighter,” he explained, helping Keith get buckled in and situated. “Now, flying is a lot about reflexes, but it’s also pretty science-y and math-y. Let me see what you can do.” He closed the door, sealing Keith in to the unfamiliar space, but it was only a few seconds before his voice was coming in through the speakers. “Ok, so you’ve got the center stick - that’s the joystick type thing in front of you, that controls your pitch, how much you’re moving up and down, and your roll, how much you’re rolling left to right. Pedals at your feet control the yaw, how much you’re moving from side to side,like the rudder on a boat, yeah? Then the throttle at your left hand controls speed. Got it?”

“I think?” It made sense when Shiro laid it out like that, but Keith still had to actually _do it_.

“The screens are going to boot up in a moment and then just give you some time to experiment and get a feel for all the controls, ok? Remember, it’s going to feel real, but it’s just a simulator - if you crash nothing bad is actually going to happen, alright?” Keith nodded, then flinched when he felt the simulator shudder to life around him. “It’s pretty lifelike - the engines on these things are intense.” Shiro went quiet after that, letting Keith fool around with the controls until he felt like he had a vague idea of what he was supposed to be doing. “You good?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah,” Keith said, trying to aim for a mix of confidence and indifference.

“Alright, I’m going to start you on the Andromeda Run.” Keith had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t have time to question it. The head-up display flashed to life with something Keith assumed was meant to be the flight path he should follow. Seemed simple enough. He nudged the throttle forward to match up with the steady ascent on the screen, eased onto the pedal when the path veered to the left, and for a bit it was smooth sailing, a series of gentle glides and turns, one leisurely barrel roll that had his hair standing up straight as the simulator spun upside down with him.

It was...Keith didn’t have words for it. If he’d thought the hover ride out here was exciting, this was breathtaking. It was like he was simultaneously entirely carefree, floating along with the flight path, and incredibly keyed up, pushing the throttle just a bit farther to take this turn faster, shifting into a steeper dive just because it was _fun_.

He didn’t remember ever feeling like this before.

He’d just leveled out from one of the dives when the screens froze around him, and he just barely stopped himself from groaning.

Over already, apparently. Nothing good lasted forever.

“Want a little more adventure?” Shiro asked.

Maybe not over, just yet.

“What kind of adventure?”

“See those buttons on the control stick and the throttle? That’s your main weapons system. The ship has a few others, as well, but they’re a little finicky for the first time. I’m going to add two enemy drones into the simulation - try to take them out, and don’t let them hit you.”

It was easy enough, but still satisfying, when he got close enough to a cliffside to get one of the drones chasing him to take itself out, too close to the wall, and then it was just a question gaining enough ground on the remaining ship in order to turn and shoot it head on. Bullseye.

“Ready for something a little more advanced?” Shiro asked, excitement in his tone, as the screen showed the remnants of the ship falling to earth.

“Yes!” Keith yelled, forgetting for a moment that he was trying to be aloof, and Shiro chuckled over the comm line at him.

“Ok, this one’s the Capricorn Run, and it’s going to be a lot trickier. You’re in space, you’ve got some enemy combatants in your area, and some asteroids you’ll want to avoid. You’ve got a route to follow, Point A to Point B, but don’t feel like you need to follow the flight path exactly if it’s going to put you into danger, alright? Just focus on getting to your destination in one piece. Got it?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, and the simulation lit up around him. It was weird, not having the line of horizon to ground him on which way was up, but there was _so_ much freedom in this version. He noticed the enemy ships coming in from his right, and that’s where the flight path wanted him to head as well, but there were six of them, and only one of him. The asteroid belt was to his left, and as long as he made it through there without damaging the ship, it was probably a safer option. Nodding to himself, Keith made a steep dive in between two of the larger asteroids, and saw three of the enemy ships get knocked out at once when they tried to follow him. The other three were still on his tail, but they couldn’t really fire at him, not when he was weaving back and forth.

These ships were faster than the ones from the previous simulation, though, and Keith didn’t think he’d have enough time to make that wide turn he’d done before. But what if he turned _up_ instead of to the side? Made a big loop like he’d seen in movies with rollercoasters, and shot at them from above? It was worth a try, so he cranked the throttle and the center stick, rocketing up nearly vertical, then curving back down and YES there was a _perfect_ shot on the ships like this, and one-two-three Keith was out of enemies. It was a piece of cake after that to reconnect with the flight path, though his landing on the space destination base for Point B probably left a little something to be desired, rattling him and the simulator as he slammed too hard into the ground, but Keith was too giddy to care, as the simulator brought up a big textbox.

Mission cleared.

* * *

“Matt,” Shiro croaked into his phone, watching Keith’s Capricorn Run, “when are the applications for the Garrison due again?”

“Uhhhh, January 15, I think? Why?”

“Your dad is on the admissions committee, right?”

“Uh-huh. What’s this about?”

“I might have found a piloting prodigy,” Shiro explained.

“Your problem child mentee?”

“He’s about to clear Capricorn.”

“Capri- that’s second year curriculum, Shiro!”

“I know.”

“Shit.”

“I know,” Shiro repeated. “Yeah he’s...he’s cleared it. Gotta go.” He hung up before Matt could get another word in, still marveling at the whole experience. When Matt had suggested letting Keith into the sims for a little fun for their last official day, he thought maybe it would help loosen him up a bit. He had definitely not been expecting the kid to be a complete natural.

The door to the simulator opened, and it was like he was looking at a brand new Keith: soaked in sweat, eyes shining, grinning at him like a little kid on Christmas morning.

“That was great!” Keith said, fumbling at the harness as he tried to get out.

“Hold on, bud,” Shiro said. “You need to...the system wants you to put your name in.”

“Huh?”

“You made the top twenty for this course.”

“Oh, that’s...wait…the top..?”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, fighting a smile as he imagined Feldwick, the one he’d just taken out of the top 20, learning that he’d been beaten by a 13-year-old novice.

“Oh,” Keith said again, before dutifully putting his name into slot 16. “Oh, that’s!” He pointed at the top 7 slots, all of which Shiro was currently occupying and he was sure Keith would knock him down off the leaderboard with some training, because Jesus Christ.

“Yeah. You did...wow, Keith, that was, I’ve never seen anyone fly like that for their first time.”

“Not as good as you, though,” Keith said, and though it wasn’t quite as bright as a minute ago he was still smiling as he undid the straps and walked out of the simulator, just the smallest bit wobbly.

“Not yet,” Shiro amended. “Have you ever...thought about it? As a career?” And wow, he was a shit mentor, because he just realized he’d never actually asked Keith what he wanted to be when he grew up.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Keith said, but the way he said it, hunching in on himself, made Shiro wonder.

“What have you been thinking about? Not that you need to make any decisions now, obviously, you’re still young, but is anything interesting to you?”

And then he _really_ felt like a shit mentor, because Keith started _crying_.

“Woah, woah, Keith, hey…” Shiro led him over to the row of desks so they could sit down, completely at a loss about what to do in this situation. “You don’t need to make any decisions right now, ok? You’re a kid, you don’t need to know what you’re doing for the rest of your life yet.”

“No one is...no one expects,” Keith hiccuped through his tears, and ohhhhh Shiro thought he got it.

“Keith,” he said slowly, “if someone, or maybe more than one someone, has told you before that can’t do something just because of your background or where you come from, they’re full of shit, alright?” Keith choked out a laugh at that. “Listen to me. I am telling you, with that piloting you just did? You could get into the Galaxy Garrison with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back.”

“But my grades…”

“We could work on bumping them up,” Shiro said. “You know your stuff, and my roommate is a genius who owes me so we could convince him to tutor you if there are any areas you need help. And they’ve got scholarships, too. And room and board is included.” Better to just lay all the cards on the table now, he figured.

“I could, do this?” Keith asked, looking up at him with wet eyes. “I could be a pilot?”

“Honestly, from that sim run I’d say you already _are_ a pilot, but you could be an even better one.” Keith’s gaze went back down onto the floor, but Shiro thought it looked more pensive than resigned, now.

“Let’s go get some pizza and talk things over, ok?” He held out a hand, and after a minute or so of patience, Keith accepted.


End file.
